34 Facts About Shea Ralph

Shea Sydney Ralph was born on March 12,1978 and is a former collegiate basketball player and current head coach for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team.

Shea Ralph was previously an assistant coach at UConn from 2008 to 2021.

Shea Ralph helped win a national championship as a player at the University of Connecticut in 2000 and won numerous individual awards, including the Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year and the Honda Sports Award for the best collegiate female athlete in basketball.

Shea Ralph was drafted by the WNBA Utah Starzz, but recurring knee problems prevented her from embarking on a professional career.

Shea Ralph started her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.

Shea Ralph grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she attended Terry Sanford High School.

Shea Ralph was named Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Shea Ralph was named a High School All-American by the WBCA.

Shea Ralph participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game in 1996, scoring twelve points.

Shea Ralph was the subject of a spirited recruiting battle, a natural consequence of her abilities leading to national high school player of the year honors.

Shea Ralph's mother, Marsha Lake, was an All-American basketball player for the University of North Carolina.

Shea Ralph was growing up in North Carolina and her name was a "household word since she was eleven years old".

Shea Ralph called Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut coach, to ask what kind of role he envisioned for her at UConn.

Shea Ralph went on to have a great senior season in high school.

In 2000 Shea Ralph captained the team to the national championship and at the Final Four, was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Shea Ralph earned national freshman of the year honors from both the United States Basketball Writers Association and The Sporting News.

However, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, a game against Lehigh, Shea Ralph tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Shea Ralph was unable to play for the rest of the tournament.

Shea Ralph had her best scoring year as a sophomore, with 16.7 points per game.

Shea Ralph had six steals and seven assists, prompting teammate Marci Czel to nickname her Tournament Shea.

Shea Ralph was named the Big East Player of the Year.

Shea Ralph won national awards, including Sports Illustrated Women Player of the Year, the Honda Sports Award in basketball, and a spot on the Kodak All-America team.

Shea Ralph played on the USA Basketball 2000 Jones Cup Team that won the gold in Taipei.

At halftime Shea Ralph told her teammates that she had just "tweaked" it, and she would be back.

Shea Ralph was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

Shea Ralph's condition was not known to Connecticut at the time of her recruitment, but soon became apparent.

Shea Ralph was named to the team representing the US in 2000 at the William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan.

Shea Ralph was the team's leading scorer, averaging twelve points per game.

Shea Ralph was drafted in the third round by the Utah Starzz of the WNBA.

Shea Ralph opted to sit out the first year so her knees could recover, but she never ended up playing in the league.

Shea Ralph remained at Pittsburgh for five years, helping to turn a team with a losing record into a nationally ranked team.

Shea Ralph spent 13 seasons in Storrs, assisting for 12 conference championship and 6 national championship teams.

Shea Ralph is married to former NBA player and fellow coach Tom Garrick, who is a member of her coaching staff at Vanderbilt.

Shea Ralph was a 2008 inductee into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame on the basis of her high school, college and coaching accomplishments.